BROADCASTING
off the air
not broadcasting (a radio or television program).The radio audience won't hear what you say when you're off the air.When the performers were off the air, the director told them how well they had done.
on the air
broadcasting (a radio or television program).The radio station came back on the air shortly after the storm.We were on the air for two hours.
pick something up
to receive radio signals; to bring something into view.I can just pick it up with a powerful telescope.I can hardly pick up a signal.We can pick up a pretty good television picture where we live.
tune (something) in
to set a radio or television control so as to receive something.Why don't you try to tune the ball game in?This is a cheap radio, and I can't tune in distant stations.Please try to tune in.
See also AUDIO, TELEVISION.
disk jockey and deejay; disc jockey; D.J.
n. a radio announcer who introduces recorded music, originally from phonograph records.The disk jockey couldn't pronounce the name of the singing group.I was a D.J. for a while, but I didn't like it.
ham
n. an amateur radio operator.My brother is a ham, and he helped a lot during the emergency.The hams helped by providing communication to the outside world.
idiot card
n. a large card that shows people on television what to say.The floor director held up an idiot card so I could read out the telephone number.I couldn't read the number off the idiot card.
radioland
n. an imaginary place where radio listeners dwell.Hello out there in radioland. This is Martin Jones speaking.All you folks in radioland who enjoy country music will like this next one.
veejay and V.J.; video jock
n. a “video jockey”; a host on a television program that features music videos. (The abbreviation is an initialism. Patterned on deejay.)Sally tried out for the veejay job, but she looked too old and stuffy for that kind of work.Most of the V.J.s on cable television are untrained amateurs.Wally tried out to be a video jock, but he's too uptown.